The Health Ministry&acute;s chief of epidemiology, Juan Jos&eacute; Amador, said this type of dengue will attack Nicaragua with &ldquo;greater force&rdquo; this year, harming in particular infants and people who have previously suffered from dengue.

&ldquo;What&acute;s happening in Costa Rica, Honduras and El Salvador is going to affect us tremendously,&rdquo; Amador said in a statement.

He explained that dengue tends to cross borders, as eggs are carried in by wind. When other countries in the region get hit, Nicaragua won&acute;t be an exception.

Dengue hemorrhagic fever, a more serious form of the disease, can be fatal.

Health authorities last year registered 2,295 suspected cases of dengue fever and another 205 of dengue hemorrhagic fever, a more serious form of the disease that can be fatal. Seventeen cases were confirmed; no deaths from dengue were recorded.

That was a big improvement from 2007, when 147 cases were confirmed and nine people died.